It’s been yet another day of gusto, shows and thrills for the thousands of Ducatisti who, since Friday 18 July, have peacefully invaded the Romagna Riviera and the “Marco Simonceli” Misano World Circuit to launch WDW2014, the fabulous bi-annual rally that brings together everyone from the worldwide Ducati Community.
The Misano paddock is packed with motorcycles and Ducatisti who have come to the Riviera from 56 countries and 5 continents, all sharing the same passion for Bologna-built Ducati motorcycles.
The event is now getting ready for the last of the three days and WDW2014 is lined up to be a huge success, with attendance likely to exceed the 65,000 of the previous edition, clear confirmation of the brand’s strong appeal and the loyalty and fervour of its fans.
In addition to the numerous activities in the event programme, today’s highlight was the Drag Race by Tudor which brought the track day to an end and saw Ducati Riders (MotoGP and SBK) and legendary names from international competition battle it out on powerful Ducati Diavel Carbon motorcycles. A unique, head-to-head showdown, made up of simple yet thrilling ingredients to quench the fans’ burning thirst for speed.
Following yesterday’s first round heats, which saw the Superbike official test rider Matteo Baiocco and the ex Superbike rider Regis Laconi clinch a place in the finals, today the stopwatch declared the absolute winner. As expected, the competition came alive as soon as the riders involved in the Diavel Drag Race by Tudor were out of the pits. Troy Bayliss, Pierfrancesco Chili, Andrea Dovizioso, Carl Fogarty, Davide Giugliano, Yonny Hernandez, Andrea Iannone, Michele Pirro and Manuel Poggiali held nothing back and gave it their all to put on a stunning show for the crowds in the paddocks and grandstands at Misano.
The qualifying heats were followed by the final round in which Laconi and Baiocco produced a thrilling clash that saw Laconi winning the duel against the Italian, stopping the clock at a time of 6”681 to score a photo-finish victory. Andrea Dovizioso, who signed the renewal contract with Ducati Team for a further two years, won the fight for the third position against Michele Pirro, the Ducati MotoGP test rider.
After the intense day on the track, thousands of Ducatisti stayed around to enjoy the tasty “Rustida”, an awesome barbecue over 200 metres long organised on the track by the lifeguards who work along the Riviera. After this welcome break to refuel with food, it was time for the sensational Racetrack Show. The circuit provided a perfect stage for the terrific stunt riders show and a ride-past of motorcycling legends, past and present. To end the evening there was a late-night firework display, closing out the day in a crescendo of colour and sound.
The grand finale is set for Sunday July 20 with thousands more enthusiasts expected to arrive from all over the world, plenty of on-track events, great shows, partying, fun and above all, genuine Ducati passion of the sort that only real Ducatisti know how to express and share at events like these.
